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Why would a kicker risk his job, using dope. Has to be weed, it cannot be roids, that wouldn't help a kicker that much.

obiken wrote:Why would a kicker risk his job, using dope. Has to be weed, it cannot be roids, that wouldn't help a kicker that much.

I imagine it would add length to kickoffs/field goals.

Alcohol was the offense I heard, not weed.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 19909.html

According to that article, he was in the substance abuse program since 2011 because of a DUI conviction.
His lawyer said he had a couple of beers at home.
Wow, no alcohol for 3 years even if it's at home? How long do players have to be in this program? It seems excessive to me.

NorthHawk wrote:According to that article, he was in the substance abuse program since 2011 because of a DUI conviction.
His lawyer said he had a couple of beers at home.
Wow, no alcohol for 3 years even if it's at home? How long do players have to be in this program? It seems excessive to me.

Yeah I was surprised by that personally, as I assume even a guy in stage three could have a beer at his own home. Maybe he was diagnosed with alcoholism or something of that sort, otherwise it seems like a stretch to me for the league to suspend for four games but they are as a whole pretty inconsistent with this stuff.

As long as it isnt performance-enhancing the league should mind its own business. A couple beers at home? Nothing wrong with that.

Oh booze, ok that make sense and doesn't at the same time.

There has to be more to the story than this: "And it's because he had a couple of beers at home, his lawyer said"..." Once a player is in the program, any positive tests can result in an automatic suspension, which is what happened with Prater.

Pratner has been in the league's substance abuse program since his August 12, 2011 DUI charge over 3 years ago. Was there some violations that occurred within those 3 years that would have caused him to have been in that program for that long? That seems to me to be an unreasonably long amount of time unless there were some extenuating circumstances that would have extended his inclusion in the program.

According to the article, the league was considering a year suspension but that his lawyer talked them down to 4 games. A year for having a couple of beers in his home 3 years after his DUI charge (it didn't even say if it was a conviction)? Are you kidding me? In light of this news, is there anyone that wants to revise their prediction as to how long of a suspension Aldon Smith is going to draw?

RiverDog wrote:There has to be more to the story than this: "And it's because he had a couple of beers at home, his lawyer said"..." Once a player is in the program, any positive tests can result in an automatic suspension, which is what happened with Prater.

Pratner has been in the league's substance abuse program since his August 12, 2011 DUI charge over 3 years ago. Was there some violations that occurred within those 3 years that would have caused him to have been in that program for that long? That seems to me to be an unreasonably long amount of time unless there were some extenuating circumstances that would have extended his inclusion in the program.

According to the article, the league was considering a year suspension but that his lawyer talked them down to 4 games. A year for having a couple of beers in his home 3 years after his DUI charge (it didn't even say if it was a conviction)? Are you kidding me? In light of this news, is there anyone that wants to revise their prediction as to how long of a suspension Aldon Smith is going to draw?

You're right, RD there must be other things since 2011 that has him in this position.
Maybe he's an alcoholic and this was part of the deal - if only to help him. We don't know.

Aren't the penalties under the Substance Abuse program contractually set out? Meaning Goodell wouldn't have input into suspensions.

RiverDog wrote:There has to be more to the story than this: "And it's because he had a couple of beers at home, his lawyer said"..." Once a player is in the program, any positive tests can result in an automatic suspension, which is what happened with Prater.

Pratner has been in the league's substance abuse program since his August 12, 2011 DUI charge over 3 years ago. Was there some violations that occurred within those 3 years that would have caused him to have been in that program for that long? That seems to me to be an unreasonably long amount of time unless there were some extenuating circumstances that would have extended his inclusion in the program.

According to the article, the league was considering a year suspension but that his lawyer talked them down to 4 games. A year for having a couple of beers in his home 3 years after his DUI charge (it didn't even say if it was a conviction)? Are you kidding me? In light of this news, is there anyone that wants to revise their prediction as to how long of a suspension Aldon Smith is going to draw?

So bottom line is, you can beat your girlfriend to pulp in an elevator for the whole world to see.Oh wait I understand that one, the girlfriend was not employed by the NFL so they don't really give a rats a$$. So getting to aldon smith, he shot at people that were not working for NFL and if there was no referee on that flight getting out of LA I bet you he will get 4 games NFL= No Fair Laws

depaashaas wrote:

RiverDog wrote:There has to be more to the story than this: "And it's because he had a couple of beers at home, his lawyer said"..." Once a player is in the program, any positive tests can result in an automatic suspension, which is what happened with Prater.

Pratner has been in the league's substance abuse program since his August 12, 2011 DUI charge over 3 years ago. Was there some violations that occurred within those 3 years that would have caused him to have been in that program for that long? That seems to me to be an unreasonably long amount of time unless there were some extenuating circumstances that would have extended his inclusion in the program.

According to the article, the league was considering a year suspension but that his lawyer talked them down to 4 games. A year for having a couple of beers in his home 3 years after his DUI charge (it didn't even say if it was a conviction)? Are you kidding me? In light of this news, is there anyone that wants to revise their prediction as to how long of a suspension Aldon Smith is going to draw?

So bottom line is, you can beat your girlfriend to pulp in an elevator for the whole world to see.Oh wait I understand that one, the girlfriend was not employed by the NFL so they don't really give a rats a$$. So getting to aldon smith, he shot at people that were not working for NFL and if there was no referee on that flight getting out of LA I bet you he will get 4 games NFL= No Fair Laws

Substance abuse has a protocol to follow as per the CBA.
I think the Personal Conduct policy is where Goodell makes what he thinks is the right punishment.
2 different methods of punishment.

You can ask if it's fair or not and the answer is probably not, but life isn't fair and that's the way the current system works.

How many is a couple and how big were they? I'm calling bull s*** on the couple thing.

NorthHawk wrote:Substance abuse has a protocol to follow as per the CBA.
I think the Personal Conduct policy is where Goodell makes what he thinks is the right punishment.
2 different methods of punishment.

You can ask if it's fair or not and the answer is probably not, but life isn't fair and that's the way the current system works.

You and I make know that Goodell has a protocol to follow under the Substance Abuse policy whereas he has latitude in the Personal Conduct policy, but I can almost guarantee you that the average Joe isn't aware that there is a difference and will contrast the two suspensions as if Goodell had latitude in both. Indeed, many posters, in this forum and others, are already contrasting similar suspensions under different policies.

IMO a good Commish will contrast the punishment of players under ALL polices and use them as a guideline to determine what is fair and what is not under the policy violation(s)he is being asked to pass judgment on. Or at least I certainly would take that information into account if I were the one being asked to make a decision. IMHO this suspension of Pratner will be one of those incidents that Goodell will be taking into account.